I-beams and structural members of similar shapes may be fabricated in a continuous fashion by extrusion or by welding. In either case, it is necessary to sever the product into manageable lengths, preferably without stopping the fabrication process.
Factors such as shape, toughness and the desire for cleanly cut beam ends have heretofore indicated the use of a saw to perform the cutoff operation. However, a saw is relatively slow and, hence, must move with the beam for a great distance if a flying cut is to be made. This, of course, requires a long carriage for the saw and usually forces a recut operation to reduce the beam sections to shorter lengths. Saws are also environmental polluters, creating both noise and particles of the cut workpiece in the area of operation.
Shear type cutoffs, on the other hand, are fast, clean and relatively more quiet, and are commonly used to cut tubes and sheet metal. Therefore, it would be highly advantageous to provide means for applying the shear type cutoff apparatus to the relatively difficult task of severing structural beams.